Mineralogical characteristics and photocatalytic properties of natural sphalerite from China

Different natural sphalerites have a range of photocatalytic properties that can potentially be exploited for environmental remediation purposes. To develop value in the exploitation of sphalerite, samples were collected from 19 ore deposits in China and characterized for their mineralogical and photocatalytic properties. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron probe micro analysis (EPMA) measurements indicated that all the natural sphalerites from various localities crystallized in cubic phases with various chemical compositions. The substitution of Fe for Zn ranged from 0.235% to 14.826% by weight, Mn from 0.004% to 4.868%, Cu from 0.009% to 5.529% and Cd from 0.133% to 1.576%. As Fe became more abundant, the color of natural sphalerite darkened, becoming almost black; and higher Fe content was associated with stronger visible light absorption. Photoluminescence spectra showed emission mainly related to S-vacancies and progressively decreasing fluorescence intensity with increasing Fe content. Tests of the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange indicated that the sample with the highest Cd content but moderate Fe content had the highest photocatalytic activity. Specifically, the degradation of Methyl Orange (30 mg/L) attained 82.11% efficiency under visible light irradiation for 4 hr of natural sphalerite with 4.262% Fe and 1.576% Cd. Overall, the Fe content in sphalerite was found to contribute to the visible light absorption ability and the recombination rate of photo-generated electrons and holes, while substitution by Cd was observed to have a greater effect on the photocatalytic properties. These findings provide a scientific basis for the profitable utilization of base metal resources like sphalerite.     

中国环境保护相关电价政策效应与资金机制

本文从电价政策优化视角,分析了环保电价与可再生能源电价的目标、补贴率变化,首次核算了两类政策的资金总额,对比评估了两类政策的资金规模、微观作用机制、资金机制和决策机制.结果发现,环保电价长年稳定,为燃煤发电行业污染治理资金提供了稳定预期,实现了污染物的快速减排;可再生能源上网标杆电价多次下调,激励企业技术进步的同时,助长了企业投机行为.微观作用机制上,环保电价刺激了燃煤发电企业治污技术进步、企业私人成本下降,但社会承担了较高的污染治理成本;而可再生能源电价政策促进了发电社会成本的下降.可再生能源电价资金传导机制更为刚性,但存在附加征收率不高、资金缺口大等问题,政策设计未做到激励相容.2015年环保电价与可再生能源电价补贴资金总额分别为767.97亿元（不含税）和429.1亿元（供给侧）.环保电价资金总额超过可再生能源电价资金总额,强化了燃煤发电成本优势,制约了可再生能源发展,不利于电力结构的清洁化.     

不同来源废水中TOC与COD相关性研究

对纺织染整、化工、制药、食品加工各行业生产废水及城镇污水厂处理设施出水中的TOC(自动仪器监测)与COD(实验室手工分析)测定值进行回归分析,并检验一元线性回归方程的显著性和有效性。结果表明,各行业生产废水中TOC与COD值均存在非常显著的相关性,且废水组成成分越单一稳定,其相关性越好,同行业废水中TOC与COD回归方程的斜率b较为接近。利用TOC自动在线监测值换算所得的COD值,准确性和稳定性高,能满足水质实时连续监测的需要。     

抚仙湖硅藻群落的时空变化特征及其与水环境的关系

抚仙湖是我国重要的深水型淡水湖泊且水体水质总体处于I类水平,近年来在流域开发、全球变暖等影响下其生态环境功能呈现退化的趋势,需要对湖泊生物的群落组成、分布模式及其驱动因子进行系统评价.本研究于2015年选取抚仙湖的南、中、北湖区共3个采样点开展了表层水体硅藻群落和水环境特征的逐月分析.样品中共发现硅藻31个属、166个种且以浮游类型为主,其中云南特有硅藻种Cyclotella rhomboideo-elliptica基本消失.硅藻群落结构的逐月变化在3个采样点中均呈现明显的季节演替特征,其中1、2月优势种主要为Fragilaria crotonensis,3月优势种为Aulacoseira granulata,4月C.ocellata与F.crotonensis同为优势种,而在其余月硅藻群落结构较为单一且优势物种皆为C.ocellata(相对丰度占~80%).而空间尺度上,硅藻优势属种分布和群落结构具有较高的一致性.主成分分析显示,不同湖区的硅藻群落结构组成和水体环境在时间尺度上存在较大差异,而在空间尺度上差异较小;冗余分析和变差分解等分析结果进一步表明,影响群落结构时空变化的主要驱动因子是气象与物理因子(包括水温、风速和透明度),共解释了硅藻群落变率的27.6%,表明了该深水湖泊水体热力分层的厚度与持续时间是影响硅藻群落构建的重要过程.同时,湖泊营养水平与水体离子浓度也对硅藻群落结构产生了明显影响,分别解释了硅藻群落变率的21.2%和9.4%.因此,持续的区域变暖和流域开发明显影响了抚仙湖的生物群落构建与生态系统健康,对抚仙湖的生态保护不仅需要控制营养盐等流域污染物的输入,同时应该积极应对气候变化的长期影响.     

Effects of chlortetracycline, Cu and their combination on the performance and microbial community dynamics in swine manure anaerobic digestion

Swine manure was typical for the combined pollution of heavy metals and antibiotics. The effects of widely used veterinary antibiotic chlortetracycline(CTC), Cu and their combination on swine manure anaerobic digestion performance and microbial community have never been investigated. Thus, four 2 L anaerobic digestion reactors were established including reactor A(control), B(CTC spiked by 0.5 g/kg dry weight, dw), C(Cu spiked by 5 g/kg dw) and D(combination of CTC, 0.5 g/kg dw, and Cu, 5 g/kg dw), and dynamics of bacterial and archaeal community structure was investigated using high throughput sequencing method. Results showed that addition of CTC and Cu separately could increase the total biogas production by21.6% and 15.8%, respectively, while combination of CTC and Cu severely inhibited anaerobic digestion(by 30.3%). Furthermore, corresponding to different stages and reactors, four kinds of microbes including bacteria and archaea were described in detail, and the effects of CTC, Cu and their combination mainly occurred at hydrolysis and acidification phases. The addition of Cu alone changed the dynamics of archaeal community significantly. It was genus Methanomassiliicoccus that dominated at the active methane production for A, B and D, while it was genus Methanobrevibacter and Methanoculleus for C.     

基于P-S-R框架辽宁省2003年-2012年城市生态安全演变趋势研究

着眼于辽宁省经济发展与环境问题凸显的现状,基于压力-状态-响应(P-S-R)生态安全评价模型,选取辽宁省14个城市2003年-2012年的经济、社会与环境等25个指标数据进行生态安全综合评价,对生态安全演变趋势进行分析.结果表明:十年来辽宁省城市生态安全指数呈现整体上升趋势,生态安全综合评价指数基本与生态安全指数变化趋势相似,说明辽宁省生态安全状况正逐步改善,并且总体呈现发展趋势,辽宁省的生态安全建设取得一定进展.     

生活垃圾焚烧飞灰中重金属浸出影响研究

通过浸出液pH测定、全量测定以及(HJ/T 299-2007)硫酸硝酸法和(HJ/T 300-2007)醋酸缓冲溶液法浸提,对生活垃圾焚烧飞灰中重金属浸出特性进行了实验研究.结果表明浸出pH条件、飞灰中重金属含量以及重金属分布形态是影响浸出浓度的主要因素.相比于硫酸硝酸法,醋酸缓冲溶液法重金属提取效率明显较高,尤其是铜锌镉铬.垃圾焚烧飞灰潜在环境风险较大,在填埋处理及综合利用时应充分考虑其浸出特性.     

The gap report of global climate change mitigation,finance, and governance after the United States declared its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement

On 1 June 2017, the US President Donald Trump officially announced the withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, thus the study on the reasons of withdrawal, the potential impacts, and coping strategies has become a focus among policy circles and of the international community. Based on the self-developed US Policy Assessment Model, this paper systematically evaluates the three potential “major deficits” in terms of mitigation, climate finance, and global climate governance, as a result of the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and puts forward policy suggestions for coping with such transformations accordingly. The study shows that the United States ’withdrawal from the Paris Agreement will affect the existence and implementation of successive climate policies and result in an additional 8.8–13.4% increase in the global emissions reduction deficit. The United States’ withdrawal will also deteriorate the existing climate finance mechanism. The Green Climate Fund (GCF)’s funding gap will increase by US$2 billion, while the gap of long-term climate finance will increase by about US$5 billion a year. Either the China–EU or the “BASIC plus” mechanism could fill the governance deficit caused by the United States and the lack of political momentum may continue for a while in the future.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cochlodinium polykrikoides</Emphasis> blooms and clonal isolates from the northwest Atlantic coast cause rapid mortality in larvae of multiple bivalve species

Globally, many commercial bivalve populations have declined in recent decades. In addition to overharvesting and habitat loss, the increasing frequency and intensity of harmful algal blooms (HABs) are likely to contribute to bivalve losses, particularly in cases where blooms negatively impact larval stages. This paper reports on the lethal effects of clonal cultures and blooms of Cochlodinium polykrikoides from the US Atlantic coast on the larvae of three species of commercially and ecologically valuable bivalves: the Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica), the bay scallop (Argopecten irradians), and the Northern quahog (hard clam; Mercenaria mercenaria). Both cultures and blooms of C. polykrikoides were highly toxic to all three species of bivalve larvae causing 80–100% mortality during 24- to 72-h exposures at concentrations of 1–2 × 10³ cells ml⁻¹. Toxicity was dependent on cell densities, growth stage of C. polykrikoides (i.e. cultures in exponential stage growth were more toxic than later stages), exposure time of larvae to cells (i.e. longer exposure caused higher mortality), the age of larvae (i.e. younger larvae were more sensitive), and the relative abundance of C. polykrikoides (i.e. the presence of other microalgae decreased toxicity). Free radical-scavenging enzymes (peroxidase and catalase) and the removal of C. polykrikoides cells (i.e. culture filtrate) significantly increased larval survival suggesting toxicity is maximized by contact with live cells and may involve labile toxins bound by these compounds including e.g. reactive oxygen species. The toxicity of C. polykrikoides to bivalve larvae was generally more severe than other HAB species (e.g. Karenia brevis, Karlodinium veneficum, Alexandrium tamarense, Prorocentrum minimum). Since the bivalves in this study spawn in the months when C. polykrikoides blooms on the east coast of North America, these results suggest that these blooms may have detrimental effects on efforts to restore these already diminished populations.